King Co. OK’s budget; no furloughs, most workers get raises

The King County Council on Monday approved a 2010 budget that eliminates funding for some human services but does not include unpaid furlough days for unionized workers – something the county used this year to help deal with a revenue shortfall.

The operating budget for next year will be $629 million; the overall budget is $5 billion. This year the adopted operating budget – which pays for the day-to-day running of the county – was $627.8 million and the overall budget was $4.9 billion.

Facing a $56 million deficit, King County Executive Kurt Triplett had proposed a $621 million general fund budget that eliminated more than 300 positions countywide. Triplett’s plan also axed about $11.4 million in general fund support for human services, some of which was restored with money from a tax dedicated to funding for mental health and drug dependency programs. The County Council restored about $1.4 million in cuts proposed to services such as emergency shelters, hot lines and legal services for families trying to escape abuse.

The spending plan the council OK’d will eliminate 311 full-time positions and leave a county-wide workforce of 13,586 positions. That’s a reduction of 2.2 percent of the county’s workforce.

The County Council and executive’s office will reduce spending by about 13 percent and 10 percent and Executive-elect Dow Constantine, who takes office Tuesday, has said his top staff will see their salaries reduced 10 to 15 percent compared to their predecessors. But almost all the county’s unionized workforce will see net pay increases for next year.

Many bargaining units signed contracts this year that will mean 2 percent cost of living raises next year. This year most county union workers got a 4.88 percent cost of living raise.

Triplett had proposed 10-day, unpaid days off for many unionized workers again this year, but labor objected. About 40 percent of the county’s workers took 10-day furloughs this year. Union leadership said since so many workers are exempted from furloughs – like sheriff’s deputies and bus drivers – it was unfair to ask other workers to take unpaid vacations again this year.

Because there won’t be furloughs again next year the county had to find an additional $6.5 million savings in agencies throughout the government.

Going forward the county is staring at about a $140 million spending shortfall through 2012, meaning further difficult budget decisions and union negotiations are in the offing.